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Kai Ryssdal

Host and Senior Editor

SHORT BIO

Kai is the host and senior editor of “Marketplace,” the most widely heard program on business and the economy — radio or television, commercial or public broadcasting — in the country. Kai speaks regularly with CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, startup entrepreneurs, small-business owners and everyday participants in the American and global economies. Before his career in broadcasting, Kai served in the United States Navy and United States Foreign Service. He’s a graduate of Emory University and Georgetown University. Kai lives in Los Angeles with his wife and four children.

Latest Stories (5,837)

Health communication expert gives U.S. a "C" for pandemic performance

Jan 18, 2022
Cynthia Baur of the University of Maryland explains how health agencies get their messages out.
Warning sign: To end the confusion about pandemic information, said Cynthia Baur, officials need to "get back to the communication basics, which are to explain things very clearly and simply in a jargon-free way."
Mark Ralston/Getty Images

What is Web3, exactly?

Jan 13, 2022
The next iteration of the internet is a hot topic of conversation in tech communities. Kevin Werbach of The Wharton School explains why.
"The claim is that Web3 is different, that's because it's built on blockchain and other kinds of cryptographic foundations that, in fact, will be open and decentralized," Wharton professor Kevin Werbach says.
sefa ozel/Getty Images

Why the economic recovery looks different for women of color

Jan 13, 2022
“There are going to be lingering scarring effects,” economist Michelle Holder said.
"When we look at some of the disaggregated dynamics of the labor market, in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, we recognize that not everybody is doing so well," says Dr. Alex Camardelle of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.
Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

As a microbusiness, surviving the pandemic means taking it one day at a time

Jan 11, 2022
On top of pandemic disruptions, supply chain issues make running a business — including a small cheese shop — even more challenging.
Lydia Clarke owns DTLA Cheese in downtown Los Angeles. Nothing is easy for the business right now, she says. “It's a constant pivot.”
Photo courtesy Lydia Clarke

The economic legacy of the Jan. 6 insurrection is "intertwined" with the pandemic

Jan 6, 2022
“So much is good about the recovery,” said Wendy Edelberg of the Brookings Institution. Yet “we’re still in the midst of chaos.”
Protesters loyal to Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021. The nation's political instability, said Wendy Edelberg of Brookings, "makes me nervous for the year ahead."
Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Omicron is straining medical supply chains and this small practice

Jan 5, 2022
A rural family physician discusses shortages of medications, hospital staff and beds for COVID-19 patients.
Dr. Scott Anazalone at his independent medical practice in Logan, Ohio, in 2019. As the only independent family doctor in the area, he says demand for his services outstrips supply.
Cassidy Brauner

The strategy behind sonic logos, like Netflix’s startup chime

Jan 3, 2022
Sound has a "powerful ability to prime your brain for what's coming,” said Dallas Taylor, host of a podcast about sound.
Brief sounds like Netflix’s startup chime can be powerful branding tools, said podcast host and sound designer Dallas Taylor. The design of that sound involved a ring finger hitting a cabinet and a reversed guitar track.
Mario Tama via Getty Images

Are workers better off in a "workers economy"?

Dec 16, 2021
Many workers are quitting their jobs during the pandemic, but are they improving their financial situations after they leave?
About 4.2 million workers quit their jobs in October, according to the latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary.
Fiona Goodall via Getty Images

Prices will remain high, California warehouse owner predicts

Dec 16, 2021
David Erlanger is dealing with shipping delays and price increases the likes of which he hasn’t seen in his decades in the business.
David Erlanger at his main warehouse in Riverside, California. Business is good, but the conditions are challenging, he said.
Andie Corban/Marketplace

Listeners “care about community and humanity of the music," says Pitchfork’s Patel

The editor in chief of the music site talks about virality versus hooks, how musicians make a living and the future of criticism.
Musicians have had to find new venues since the pandemic started, and the growth of the labor movement has affected the music industry, said Puja Patel, editor in chief of Pitchfork.
Ethan Miller via Getty Images